Sofa bed



July 4, 1950 E. E. WOLLER SOFA BED 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 31, 1944 E@M6Z%ZQ If E. E. WOLLE R July 4, 1950 SOFA BED 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1'6 Filed July 31, 1944 rzuezzzzi' 6m 6,%%

Patented July 4, 1950 SOFA BED Edward E. Woller, Kenosha, Wis., assignor to Simmons Company, Kenosha, Wis., a corporation of Delaware Application July 31, 1944, Serial No. 547,367

1 This invention relates to improvements in sofa beds and it has particular reference to a type of sofa bed which is adapted to be converted from a sofa to a bed by displacement of the back rest from its normal position to make accessible a portion .of the seat cushion to thereby, in effect, increase the accessible width of the cushion to a predetermined bed width. The invention is further conceived with a convertible sofa-bed structure whichis equipped with a shelf-like member extending rearwardly from the upper portion of the back rest. l

The main objects of the invention are to provide means for controlling the movement of the back rest and shelf-member from normal sofa position to an offset or displaced position; to provide controlling means for the purposes indicated which will be operative during the movement of the back rest from sofa position to bed position, to maintain the back rest within the normal floor area of the sofa bed so as to avoid engagement with the wall of the room against which the back of the sofa may be placed; to provide such control means which will positively maintain the desired relationship between the 6 Claims.

back rest and the shelf-like member during a portion of the movement of the back rest to and from bed position while also permitting relative movement between said parts during a portion, of said back rest movement; to provide means for mounting the back rest and shelf part on the sofa bed frame structurein such a manner that the back rest and shelf member may be readily removed when desired; and other objects and advantages of the invention will be understood by reference to the following specification and accompanying drawings (2 sheets) wherein there is disclosed a selected embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the sofa bed in its normal sofa. position.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig.3 is a section on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2.

Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7, are sectional views corresponding to Fig. 2 and illustrating successive positions of the back rest and other parts during the movement of the back rest from its normal back rest position to an inverted, out of the way position. v

v The sofa bed includes a main frame structure having normally fixed and stationary ends 8 and 9, rigidly interconnected by various longitudinal members, one of which may be represented by a rear member [0. The ends 8 and 9 and. other exposed portions may of course be suitably upholstered and the structure includes a suitable seat cushion ll, supported on a horizontal seat frame indicated at I2, the front portion of which may be upholstered as already indicated.

The back rest preferably embodies a cushion !3 which may be permanently or detachably secured to a rigid frame structure [4 (see Fig. 2). A shelf i5, is hinged at its front edge as indicated at 46 to the upper edge portion of the back rest member I41. The top surface of the shelf member 1 5 is usually not upholstered but is otherwise suitably finished to present a smooth shelf surface of attractive appearance.

As shown best in Fig. 2, the back rest and shelf parts, when in sofa position, overlie a considerable rearward portion l! of the seat cushion ll thereby reducing the accessible width of the seat cushion -H to a desirable front to rear dimension for sofa purposes. The width of the seat cushion which is accessible for sofa purposes is considerably less than the width desired for bed purposes, but the cushion provided is of sufficient width to constitute a satisfactory bed width upon displacement of the back rest to make accessible said rearward portion I1. 1

If desired, a supplemental collapsible bed section may be normally housed under the sofa structure and the front of the sofa provided with means whereby such a collapsible bed unit may be drawn out and adjusted to bed position alongside of the cushion II to provide a bed of more than single width. At its ends, the back rest frame M is mounted for pivotal movement on the respective end frames 8 and 9. The mounting means is similar for both ends wherefore the following explanation of the mounting of one end of the back rest on the end member 9 will suffice, it being understood that right and left hand mounting memhere are provided for therespective ends.

The mounting means comprises a bracket plate It (see Fig. 6) which may be of angular form having one leg secured flatwise to the back member I4 by means of screws I!) (Fig. 2) and another leg 20 extending laterally rearwardly from theback member I4. The leg 20 ofthe bracket is provided with a circular hole 2| which receives a pivot pin 22. Thepivot pin 22 has an enlarged outer end portion 23 (Fig. 3) movable axially in a socket 24 provided in the end member 9 of the sofa frame. Suitable spring means indicated at 25 positioned within the bored out end portion 25 of the pivot serves normally to urge pivot 22 inwardly through an opening 26 in a mounting plate 21' which is in turn rigidly'secured to the end member 9 by means of screws 28. A shoulder provided between the enlarged outer portion 23 of the pivot and the smaller inward portion thereof engages the mounting plate 2! and thereby serves to limit the inward movement of the pivot by the spring 25.

The shelf member i is connected by means of a link 529 to the mounting plate 21. Said link 29 has one end pivoted as indicated at 3!? to a mounting plate 3| which is secured to the end of the shelf member l5 as best shown in Fig. 3. The link has an intermediate portion 32 bent to extend inwardly and another portion 33 extending over the bracket flange 20 on the inside thereof and in parallel relation thereto. The other end of said link 29 is .provided with an elongated slot 34 which slidably embraces a headed pin 35which is rigidly secured to the mounting plate 27. One end of the slot 34 is provided with an enlarged portion '38 through which the head of the pin 35 may be passedfor the purpose of separating the link from the pin or applying the link to the pin when desired.

The link is also provided with a stud 31 in outwardly projecting relation thereto, said stud being adapted "to enter a slot 38 provided in the flange 20 of the bracket [8. The inner end of the slot 38 is-slightly enlarged so as to provide a recessed seat 39 for the pin 31.

When the sofa is to be converted to a bed, the upholstered back rest i4 is swung-upwardly and rearwardly from its bottom edge aboutthe pivot pin 22. During the first portion of the rocking movement of the back rest about the pivot pin 22, the shelf member I5 is maintained substantially in its normal and initial angular relationship to the back member 14. This is accomplished by the engagement of the pin 31 with the edges of the slot 38 in the bracket flange 20. It will be observed that rotary movement of the bracket flange 20 in a counter-clockwise direction causes the slot 38 toguide the .pin 31 :so that the link 29 is held against longitudinal movement relative to the bracket 20 with the result that the shelf member is not permitted to swing on its pivot 16 relative to the back rest member It. At the start of the folding movement, the shelf I5 is caused to move slightly about the (pivot of its hinge l6 by the hump or cam-like formation 40 between the lower edge of the slot -38 and the recessed seat 39. This relationship is shown in Fig. 4.

During continued movement of the back rest l4 from the position illustrated in Fig. 4 the shelf member 15 may be held in the slightly opened position relative to the member M or it may be caused to resume its initial position relative to back rest member 14 as shown in Fig. 5. It is not important whether or not the member [5 is maintained accurately in a fixed position relative to the member I4 during the first part of the opening movement but it should be maintained substantially so, so that the rear edge 42 of the shelf member I5 will not be caused to travel rearwardly to any substantial extent in its movement about the pivot 22.

During the first part of the pivoting of the back member l4 and the shelf l5 about the pivot 22, the link carried pin or stud 31 is guided by the slot 38 and the lower end of the link is guided by the headed pin 35. By comparison of Figures 5 and 6, it will be seen that the pin 31 is ultimately freed from the slot 38 and that soon after the pin is so freed, the upper end 43 of the .slot'34'in the link comes into engagement with the pin 35 to terminate the downward sliding movement of the link on the said pin 35. Movement of the link 29 on the pin 35 is of course insured because of the weight of the shelf member l5 and its counterclockwise movement about the pivot pin 22. When the slot end 43 engages the pin 35, the link-:29 will, in effect, be-temporarily fixedly pivoted to the mounting plate 21 by the pivot pin 35 so that continued counter-clockwise pivotal movement of the back member M will be transmitted to the shelf member l5 which will then be also swung rearwardly on its hinge l6 by the link 29. (Compare Figs. 6 and 7.)

As shown in Fig. '7, the back rest I4 is disposed in an approximately vertically extending position spaced rearwardly of pivot 22, whereas in the initial sofa position of said back rest member, it extend-s downwardly and forwardly from a position spaced forwardly of the pivot pin 2-2. Hence it will be readily apparent that the back rest is moved substantially rearwardly from a position overlying a substantial portion of the width of the seat cushion to a position in which the entire width of said seat cushion is freely accessible for bed purposes.

The rearward rocking movement of the back rest member 14 and the accompanying movement of the shelf member 15 islimited by engagement of the shelf member !5 with a stop pin 44 which projects inwardly from thelink 29. (See Fig. 7.) The stop pin M may be located at various positions on the link 29 which will result in various final positions of the back rest and shelf member, the arrangement shown being a desirable one.

To restore the structure to bed position, the upper edge of the back member [4 is pulled forwardly and downwardly to effect reverse movements of the .shelf and back rest members. During the first portion of the return movement, the back rest 14 pivots relatively to the shelf member 15 On the axis of the hinge I6 and the link 29 is rocked upwardly and forwardly about the pin 35 asshown. Such movement continues until the hinge I5 is closed whereupon the back rest member [4 and the shelf l5 will rock in unison, the link 29 then being drawn upwardly relative to the pin 35. Such movement continues until the back rest reaches its normal sofa position at which time the guide pin v3'! rides into the recessed seat 39' to assume the sofa position illustrated in Fig. 2. The back rest is more or less locked in its normal back rest position by the recessed seat 39 for the reason that to initiate rearward movement of the back rest requires the exertion of suificient extra force to cause the cam-like portion 40 to act against the pin 31 with sufilcient lifting force to at least slightly rock the shelf member I5 upwardly on its hinge 16 as illustrated in Fig. 4. The relatively high location of the pivot pin .22 relative to the vertical dimensions of the back rest also serves to effectively prevent accidental rocking movement of the back rest incident to the pressure of a person occupying the sofa and leaning heavily against the back rest. A desirable feature of the described construction is the positive locking of the shelf member and back rest member in relatively fixed angular position during the initial unfolding movement thereof whereby the shelf member is positively caused to rock downwardly about the pivot 22 against frictional or other force which may tend to resist such downward movement of the shelf. This locking effect :is obtained by the engagement of the uppermost edge of the slot 38 with the pin 31 whereby the link is initially caused to move in such a direction as to maintain the shelf in said fixed angular relation to the back rest member as aforesaid.

Various modifications of the described structure may be made without departing from the principles of the described invention.

I claim:

1. A sofa bed having a supporting frame, a back rest, a shelf extending rearwardly from the upper portion of said back rest, a seat cushion having a rear portion extending under said back rest, a pivot carried by said frame, a bracket secured to said back rest and pivotally mounted on said pivot to thereby mount said back rest on the frame for pivotal movement from normal back rest position to an inverted, rearwardly disposed position within the normal floor area of said frame and in which rearwardly disposed position said rear portion of the seat cushion is uncovered so as to increase the accessible width of said cushion to predetermined bed width, whereby the sofa is adapted to serve as a bed, means hingedly connecting said shelf to said back rest, a link pivoted at one end to said shelf and connected at its other end to said frame in spaced relation to said back rest pivot for limited sliding and rocking movement, said link serving to permit pivotal movement of said shelf in unison with said back rest during an initial portion of said movement of the back rest and serving, upon completion of its limited Sliding movement relative to the frame, to effect pivotal movement of said shelf relative to said back rest so as to cause the shelf to assume a depending position relative to the back rest when in inverted position.

2. A sofa bed having a supporting frame, a back rest, a shelf extending rearwardly from the upper portion of said back rest, a seat cushion having a rear portion extending under said back rest, a pivot carried by said frame, a bracket secured to said back rest and pivotally mounted on said pivot to thereby mount said back rest on the frame for pivotal movement from normal back rest position to an inverted, rearwardly disposed position within the normal floor area of said frame and in which rearwardly disposed position said rear portion of the seat cushion is uncovered so as to increase the accessible width of said cushion to predetermined bed width, whereby the sofa is adapted to serve as a bed, means hingedly connecting said shelf to said back rest, a link pivoted at one end to said shelf and connected at its other end to said frame in spaced relation to said back rest pivot for limited sliding and rocking movement, said link serving to permit pivotal movement of said shelf in unison with said back rest during an initial portion of said movement of the back rest and serving, upon completion of its limited sliding movement relative to the frame, to effect pivotal movement of said shelf relative to said back rest so as to cause the shelf to assume a depending position relative to the back rest when in inverted position, and disengageable means interconnecting said link and back rest during said initial portion of the back rest movement, said disengageable means serving to positively lock said shelf in normal shelf position relative to said back rest during said initial movement, whereby said shelf member is positively rocked downwardly about said back rest pivot during said initial portion of the back rest movement.

3. A sofa bed according to claim 2, wherein the pivot for the back rest is carried by a plate secured to the frame and which plate is also provided with a pivot stud forming a part of the limited sliding and rocking connection between said link and the frame, the link being provided with a slot through which said pivot stud proiects.

4. A sofa bed according to claim 2, wherein the pivot for the back rest is carried by a plate secured to the frame and which plate is also provided with a pivot stud forming a part of the limited sliding and rocking connection between said link and the frame, the link being provided with a slot through which said pivot stud projects, the pivot stud having an enlarged head and the slot having an enlarged portion to permit separation of said link from said pivot stud, and means whereby said back rest pivot is disengageable from said bracket, thereby to permit said back rest to be separated from said frame.

5. A sofa bed according to claim 1, in which said link is provided with a stop pin for engaging a portion of said shelf member to thereby determine said inverted, rearwardly disposed position of the back rest.

6. A sofa bed having a supporting frame, a back rest, a shelf extending rearwardly from the upper portion of said back rest, a seat cushion having a rear portion extending under said back rest, a pivot carried by said frame, a bracket secured to said back rest and pivotally mounted on said pivot to thereby mount said back rest on the frame for pivotal movement from normal back rest position to an inverted, rearwardly disposed position Within the normal floor area of said frame and in which rearwardly disposed position said rear portion of the seat cushion is uncovered so as to increase the accessible width of said cushion to predetermined bed width, whereby the sofa is adapted to serve as a bed, means hingedly connecting said shelf to said back rest, a link pivoted at one end to said shelf and connected at its other end to said frame in spaced relation to said back rest pivot for limited sliding and rocking movement, said link serving to permit pivotal movement of said shelf in unison with said back rest during an initial portion of said movement of the back rest and serving, upon completion of its limited sliding movement relative to the frame, to effect pivotal movement of said shelf relative to said back rest so as to cause the shelf to assume a depending position relative to the back rest when in inverted position, and means carried by said back rest and having a separable connection with said shelf for cooperating with said hinge means to support said shelf in normal shelf position when said backrest is in normal back rest position.

EDWARD E. WOLLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,088,258 Brezinski Feb. 24, 1914 1,344,825 Schram June 29, 1920 1,812,298 Kimble June 30, 1931 2,352,961 Margulies July 4, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 131,984 Austria Feb. 25, 1933 

